New wellbeing survey paints a troubling picture of teacher stress

The NASUWT has published its Wellbeing at Work Survey. It was conducted from September 2023 to January 2024 and indicates that the mental and physical health of teachers across the UK is still extremely poor. 

The survey considered responses from 11,754 teachers and utilised the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale to analyse results. It found that teachers averaged a wellbeing score of 38.4 which was significantly below those of the general population which typically scored between 50-52.  

What is the main cause of teacher stress? 

Workload remains the primary source of stress, with 84% of teachers saying they have experienced an uptick in their work-related stress over the past year. Additionally, 86% said that their job had adversely impacted their mental health in the last 12 months (down 6% from 2022) and 68% on their physical health (up 4% from 2022). 54% say that their workload is the main factor for work-related stress, followed by pupil behaviour (36%), monitoring and accountability measures (26%), and financial worries (19%). 

The survey also highlighted the profound impact stress has on teachers lives with 84% saying they had low energy levels, 87% saying they found it difficult to sleep and 29% saying that they experienced a loss in appetite. 10% also said that stress contributed towards their relationships breaking down and 3% reported self-harming. 

Are schools and colleges helping staff to cope with stress? 

The survey's findings indicate that many schools and colleges are failing to adequately support teacher wellbeing. 

• 73% of teachers said that their workplaces didn't offer any support
• 64% said their schools lack measures to manage stress and burnout
• 63% said there weren't any school-based counsellors they could talk to; 
• 58% said their school didn't provide them with a safe and comfortable space to take time out and debrief outside of the classroom environment; and 
• 58% said there was a lack of flexible working opportunities.

Additionally, 46% of teachers said their schools didn't have clear policies about working excessive hours or guidelines for replying to emails outside of working hours in evenings and at weekends.

Are Ofsted inspections causing stress?

Very few teachers view the national picture surrounding the profession and wellbeing as a positive one, and say that there are particular problems linked to the inspectorate regime: 

• 76% said that Ofsted inspections negatively impacted their mental health and wellbeing because of the way they carry out their work; and 
• a majority strongly disagreed that that Ofsted took teacher mental health and well-being into account when assessing schools. 

The annual Teacher Wellbeing Index published by Education Support is due later this week. It will be interesting to see if they find similar patterns of stress.

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